


When I Was Done Dying

by NEONVORE



Category: OMORI (Video Game)
Genre: Dissociation, F/M, Guilt, Mental Instability, OMORI Spoilers, Paranoia, Past Character Death, Suicidal Thoughts
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-17
Updated: 2021-03-24
Packaged: 2021-03-26 00:02:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,398
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30097194
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NEONVORE/pseuds/NEONVORE
Summary: It had been 7 years since he murdered Mari.It had been 3 years since he moved from Faraway. Nothing had changed from what he felt before.
Relationships: Hero/Mari (OMORI)
Comments: 12
Kudos: 143





	1. Chapter 1

Surprisingly, having your eye gouged out and stabbed multiple times as well - it didn't cause as much as an issue as one would expected.

Not seeing was unfortunate, but you fall in a routine that eventually feels normal. It takes awhile to heal, but all wounds do. This one just would take a bit longer then others. In fact, the details of that day were fuzzy and hazy. As if it were some dream, and never happened. He knows it did, there is proof that it did. Yet he still declines it. He had promised himself to not suppress it anymore, and maybe for a bit he managed. Managed to spill his heart's contents to his friends, tell them the truth, tell them everything that he'd done to ruin their lives. 

Sunny hadn't stayed to see their reactions. The silence was enough, to which he quickly absconded back to his room. Thinking deep enough, he might've sworn he heard someone call out for him. But he knew better. Sunny was moving, and wouldn't see them ever again. Telling the truth and allowing them to hate him was fine, because it was the right thing to do. He was certain Basil would have some explaining on his behalf, and he hoped they were gentle on him. As much as he felt a stinging bitterness and hateful thoughts towards the flower boy, he knew it wasn't his fault. When you're afraid, you do weird things. Especially when you're just a kid. It seemed so right at the time, as if it were normal. But it wasn't.

To have that guilt finally scraped out to the world to see, it was.. Refreshing. Kinda. He was still drowning, and he could feel it, but at least they knew the truth.

Sunny's mom didn't need the run-down. He knew that she knew. He always did. He wasn't sure why she stayed so calm and loving to him. His father had gone mental upon finding out, because no person gets such head and neck injuries from hanging themselves. You don't _bleed_ when you hang yourself. The last he'd seen of his father was through his window. He watched the man chop the cursed tree down violently. He struggled for a good while, which opted Sunny to go to him. He wasn't sure why he did, he knew what it would lead to, yet his legs still forced him to the older man.

His father's words stung, and he accepted them. He was grieving, and there was no way you couldn't freak out on your son who killed his own sister.

Maybe his mom understood. Saw how he isolated himself, how he refused to talk to anyone for utter years. Sunny was always put to himself, but this was to an extreme extent. Eating wasn't a priority, showering wasn't either. All he knew he could do was sleep, because when he was asleep he wouldn't have to face the reality of the situation. Maybe she knew that it was an accident, and it was tearing him apart from the inside, he will never know. They never talked about it, avoiding it at all costs.

He was thankful for that.

He was no where near ready to leave the hospital, but he was ejected early either way. A day after the initial stabbing, actually. His mother opted to bring him to a hospital near their new home, as she didn't want him to stay in that dreaded down for a second longer. Sunny didn't want to either, but upon entering his mom's car in worn out clothes - he'd take note to the expression Kel held as he watched. They lived next to them, after all. The boy never greeted them, or said goodbye, or anything. He merely watched in silence, his face drawn in pure concern rather then the anger he'd expected.

Sunny didn't think about it too much, and ignored it. He ignored the entire town, everything that had happened being forced back into the forever void he'd created to hide away in the first place. He broke Omori's wishes, and knew he'd be seeing the boy again when he slept.

Their new home was a spacy apartment in the city. It was small, but had enough room for just the two of them. They both were going to start fresh, have a new starting point on life. The dreaded memories and demons they'd left behind, merely forgotten. Mentions of Mari were small, but when they were in mention, it was only of praises. Not that he blamed his mother. She was the perfect daughter. He wished he could be the perfect son for her, but even before Mari's death, he was far from it. Too quiet, too shy and meek. He was too open at times, which eventually lead him to close off. That stature only stayed, but to a less drastic extent. Because no one knew who he was here, no one would recognize him as the boy whos' sister _killed herself._ Or the strange, quiet kid who didn't leave the house for three years. 

Instead, he was just Sunny. The boy who wore that weird eyepatch, and kept to himself. And that was all he was. Greeting the occasional person every now and then, he didn't find himself wanting to make friends anytime soon. A few people would stay in touch, and he knew what they were trying to do, but he'd eventually push them away. They didn't want to get close to him, he would never be able to tell them why, because it would only awaken the same hell that his hometown held.

It had been 4 years since he murdered Mari. 

Time went by in what felt like minutes. Nothing lasted, and he didn't believe that this was the life he was living. It couldn't be. If it were true, why did everything feel so fake? Why couldn't he tell if he left his mind or not.

It had been 3 years since he moved from Faraway. Nothing had changed from what he felt before.

He was going to turn 19 soon, and even before then; had no clue what to do with himself. His mother swore to take care of him as long as he needed until he was ready to move on his own, which he delved into gladly. It was just until lately that it was beginning to feel like nothing had changed.

He was no where close to how shut in he was before, but he still found himself not managing much. Therapy felt weird, and he eventually stopped going, to his mother's dismay. Talking about his feelings, about what happened? It made him feel gross. He'd convinced himself he would manage on his own, but saw that it was failing at each passing day. Maybe his mother noticed, but never brought it up. Maybe she simply didn't want too. It was hard to talk to your child when you grew so apart from him, and even then, maybe she knew that he needed this. Needed the torture for the crime he'd done.

That was all up for interpretation, of course. He'd never actually know.

Appearance wise, nothing much changed. He grew a bit taller, looked less childish and more.. Masculine, in a way. His hair was longer then it had ever been, not to a large extent, but it was definitely creeping down his neck further and further. He continued to wear the same boring clothes, finding a strange comfort in it. He didn't want to stand out anyways, so monochrome was a good thing to include. An extremely pale boy lacking most color wasn't much of a conversation starter, perhaps his eye was, but even then no one stared long enough to see the missing one. Or the patch, that was.

Sunny was tired, and Omori was mad. The white space remained his home, and the wonders of his dreams increased over time. More added to the small world as life went on, much more for Omori and his friend's to delve into. It was in those moments that everything felt fine and safe, and even if he heard Omori's words chanting in his head at times - he knew it was okay. They were both hurting, one wanting to take matters into their hands perhaps a bit more then the other.

And Sunny couldn't remember why he had stopped him from doing so. 

"I'm going for a walk." The dark haired boy calls out, waiting for a response from his mother. It took a moment, but he eventually got it. "Be safe, please?" The woman asked gently, the sound of footsteps increasing as she made way to the living room where he stood. "And don't stay out too late. Hey, maybe you can even check around for jobs?" She asked, tilting her head lightly. He knew it was not out of malice, but in a way to help him find more worth. "..Yeah." He murmurs. "That's probably a good idea. I have a few places to check out, actually. I'll let you know how it goes when I'm back?"

She seems to like his response, expression less worried and more warm. "Of course. I have to go to work rather late, though. I hope you don't mind dinner alone." She moved forwards to hug him, burying her face into his neck. He was much taller then her now, but she was also rather short to begin with. "I swear we'll eat together sometime soon, look old times. I can even cook up that steak you love so dearly." She teased, pulling away and smiling at him. Sunny found it hard to smile back.

The thought of food made him feel sick. 

"Totally." He confirms, nodding. "Just have to find the right day. I'll be back." Sunny offers her a forced smile as he tugged on his jacket a bit more properly, moving closer to the door. "Of course, of course." She says, hands clasping together. "..I love you, Sunny." His mothers says in a gentle tone.

The words feel wrong, and it makes him feel uncomfortable, and he doesn't know why. It wasn't her fault, it was no ones but his own. Why did affection feel so bad? He found that he'd rather have insults thrown his way then his mother's love.

"Love you too, mom." He says quietly, flashing her another look before opening the door and strolling out.

He shut it behind him, and took a heavy breath. That took far too much energy from him.

Sunny fixes his sleeves a little, and begins to walk down the stairs of the apartment. After a few rows, he reaches the bottom and stares up at the sky tiredly. It was dull as ever, but he supposed that was given. It was cold as well, but as time went on, the cold was rather comforting. It felt nice, so he took it in as much as he could. Summers were the worst, so he took this in gratefully. 

The stray people he saw as he walked away from the complex didn't bother him, as he kept put to himself. He'd see a lady and her child, sometimes a guy and his girlfriend. Maybe even a group of kids just screwing around with one another. He always found himself fixating on the kids, and forced himself to stop soon after. It was creepy looking, but he couldn't help it. It reminded him too much of other times. He sometimes wondered what it would be like if nothing had changed.

Probably boring, a voice murmurs in the back of his head.

That's probably true.

Sunny had no place in specific he was going, but going back on his mother's words, he supposed he should check out some places for a job. He loved her, but he would very much prefer to get his own place. She hadn't done everything wrong, surely. Getting his own space to be himself was just a high priority. It was hard to keep so closed in with such a paranoid mother, and as it got worse, he found more of his leakage spilling. Sometimes it would be a lash out, or just an outburst of crying. Maybe his mother thought she'd heard him puking after dinner, but brushed it off as the shower he kept running. Whatever the excuse was, Sunny didn't care. He just wanted out.

The familiar lights along the area blinded him, reminding him of.. Well. 

Sunny tears his gaze away and focuses on the point at hand. Job. Right. There were little stores nearby, so it took a good walk to reach some actual areas. It was far fuller of people then before, let it be just strolls they were taking or shopping they were finishing. Either way, Sunny blended in easily. He brushed passed everything, managing out a gentle apology if he bumped into someone. The sight of a familiar corner shop took him out of his trance. It was the less populated place, it seemed. That was good. That would be his starting point. He took it as an excuse to look around, anything to keep himself busy. And after a good minute or two, he'd find himself speaking to the manager. They settled that they were not in fact hiring, but would give him a ring if something came up.

He didn't let it discourage him, and nodded. He gave his number, then left.

He wasn't certain how many stores he checked out. Some leaving him emptied handed and some wanting to give him a chance and discuss it another day. He walked to a nearby shop and strolled in with no hesitation. It seemed to mostly sell outside items. As in plants, some equipment to get work done.. Flowers. Sunny eyed the flowers blankly, unsure why he was staring.

"Hello!"

A girl cooed out, making way to the counter from what seemed out of no where. She was blonde (bleached, that was) and had tan skin. She held a warm smile with her pink painted lips. She was the utter definition of girly, but she was also incredibly tall. She also looked rather strong. It made him kinda jealous..

"How can I help ya'? Not to be rude, but you seem kinda.. Lost." Was it that obvious?

Said girl lets out a small giggle, and reaches a hand out. Her nails were long and painted, some massacre of glitter and more shades of pink. "I'm Heather." She says warmly. Sunny finds himself staring at the hand too long, but eventually moves his own to share hers. "..Sunny." He replies. "Ohhh, Sunny. Sunny." She repeats, pondering in thought. "Never met a Sunny before. I like it, fun name." The fact that she was genuine made him regret coming in. He was sure she was fine, but.. Interacting with people was exhausting, and he was not good at it. Maybe it was obvious, as a gentle silence stayed between them, only stopping as she perked back up from her gazing.

"Right, right! Need something? Gardening tools? Seeds? We got some for this particular month, if you wanna look. I'm not really the best with flowers, but I can give you the deets' on some vegetables and what not." 

"No, that's.. That's fine. Thank you, though." Sunny nods, finding relief in the fact she didn't look mad or upset. In fact, she looked rather patient. "Totally fine! We got other stuff too, so don't hesitate to pop a question. I usually have another co-worker who knows more then me, buut.." She trails off, shrugging. The strap of her tank-top slid down a little, revealing her shoulder. She had freckles. Cute. 

"Kinda runnin' late. Boss said its fine, reasons or whatever, but I kinda am the worst alone." She nervously laughs. "He gets this stuff more then me. But, uh.. Hey! Say." She leans in real close, rubbing her chin. "Something tells me you're not even here to buy stuff." She says in an accusing tone.

Sunny's mind went to mailboxes, blue ones. Ones that taunted him and sold him strange items. Ones that got mad when he didn't buy anything. Why mailboxes?

"..Yeah. I'm actually, uh. I was.." Sunny tries to conjure his words together. "I was wondering if you guys were hiring?" Sunny looks up meekly, hands fidgeting with one another.

"Makes sense!" She nods. "Good question, uh.. I sadly don't think so, dude." She frowns, looking at him sadly. "Boss is really specific when hiring people. Since there is so much plant life and junk to take care of, he always makes sure that they know what they're doing.. Not that I'm assuming -"

Sunny shakes his head, managing a small laugh as he raised his hands up. "No, its fine.. You're assuming correct. I'm.. Not the best with this stuff, anyways. Its fine." Heather seems to release tension at his response, shoulders lowering slightly. "Cool, okay. I mean, I'm sure maybe I can ask him about it regardless. I don't know how I got hired, maybe because of.." She refers to her as a whole. "..You know. My looks." She huffs. Sunny felt bad for her, understanding what she meant. "Hey, don't look bad! Its fine. I get good cash at the end of the day, and if anyone tries to screw around, I can give em' one of THESE!" She raises a fist in the area, grinning widely.

That was reassuring, to his relief..

"I bet." Sunny hums out quietly. "..Well, thank you anyways." He concedes it at that, giving a slight bow of his head. As he turned to leave, Heather quickly stopped him. "Hey, I am serious about the job, though. I'm sure I can squeeze somethings through." The genuine smile she gave made Sunny feel disturbed. He felt extremely gross feeling. "Maybe if I even get my co-worker in on this, coming from the whiz himself, boss might agree!" She beams at her idea, hands clasping together. "Two people working this big ole' place sucks, three would be way easier." Sunny knew where she was coming from, but he needed to go.

"Its fine, really." He manages out quietly, taking a step away. He felt so disgusting. The look she gave him made him want to scream. Her warmth was too much, and it made Sunny feel like he needed to scrub himself clean. Why couldn't you just be mean, he thinks desperately. Why couldn't you of just called me weird looking for my eye-patch, or maybe by how I held myself, or..

"Speak of the DEVIL." She says highly, smirking as she leaned against the counter. "Hey, hey! Come here. Got a discussion." She calls out to someone, but Sunny is far too focused on staring at the ground. If he doesn't look at her, he wont see her smiling. If he doesn't see her smiling, then he could pretend every word she said was fake.

The sound of the door bell ringing to a close filled his ears, but he still made no excuse to look up. "Heather, thank you, really." Sunny abruptly manages out, looking up. His dark eyes staring into her hazel ones, looking somewhat off guard at the sudden words. "Hm?" She tilts her head, furrowing her brows. "I'm fine, really. I'm no fit here, I gotta find something that will drift better with me." 

Heather fought the urge to argue. He had a point, but..

"So what's up, Heather?" A voice calls out, finally reaching them. This was his chance to leave. As Heather looked away to meet the other visitor's eyes, Sunny harshly turns away to the door. To his dismay, they still stood rather close to it. He'd have to walk past them. He didn't look up, staring down at his feet as he forced himself to walk. "Oh, nothing much. Was just.. Having a consideration with this dude. He's real sweet. Hey, Sunny, I mean it!" She calls out loudly. "Come back if nothin' works out.:

"Sunny?"

Yes, he thinks. That is my name. "Of course." He replies quickly, speeding to the door. His hand reached out desperately. "I'll keep it in mind. It was nice meeting you, Heather!" 

His pale hand that reached the door was stopped to a halt as his free hand was tugged on. His instinct was to flee, to not look back and just get the hell out of there. But yet, he found himself turning around, annoyance on his face as he looked up. "Can you not.." He starts, but trails off quietly. "Sunny." The stranger repeats, but more strongly then before. "..Basil." He murmurs lowly, looking at the blonde boy meekly. He was near the same height as himself, maybe an inch or two taller. It was silly, considering how small the boy was before. His hair was still noticeably long, but tied back into a ponytail. He still held the same nature he had years ago, the gentleness and floral scent he always had.. 

"Sunny." Basil repeats, his other hand moving to grab onto his shoulder. Sunny couldn't breathe. "H - Hey, uhm." The blonde boy panics upon noticing his old friend's stress, seeing Sunny take in shaky breaths while staring blankly, almost as if he weren't even there.

We can't ever escape, can we?

"Heather." Basil calls out, looking to her pleadingly. "C - Can you, uh.. Can you take over a bit longer? I'm so sorry, I know I just came but.." Heather shushes him and hands the store's keys in his direction. "Nu-uh, don't peep a word. Go get you and your dude in the backroom. I'll be fine a bit longer, just don't let it happen again." She teases lightly, winking at him. Basil lets out a rushed thank you, and gently intertwines his hand with Sunny's. "Co - Come on, Sunny. You're okay." He says, beginning to lightly tug him in the direction he was going. "Everything is fine. Its just me."

That was the problem. It's you.

Basil manages to usher him and Sunny in the backroom, shutting the door quietly and hastily having the pale boy sitting on a nearby chair. The room was obviously a workspace, but given the small tinkering around Basil and he'd assume Heather had done - it was surely more homey then any other old place.

"Are you okay?" He tries again, dragging a chair nearby to Sunny to sit on himself. "I'm sorry if.. If I, um." He looked into his lap, fidgeting anxiously. "Its been years, Sunny." His words sounded tired, heavy with emotion. "Wh - Why didn't you.. We, I.." Sunny wish he could explain it. Explain that he wanted to never remember a thing that happened. It may of been the best years of his life, but it was the past. And he knew he wasn't going to get anything better, not anymore. He was going straight to hell, if he weren't already there. Maybe this was purgatory, bound to live forever in pain until he finally gave in and.

"Basil." He chokes out, hands shakily moving to rub at his eye. He is not crying. Not here, not in front of someone he hadn't seen in forever. "I'm.. I need to go." He moves to stand up, but is tugged down. "No." Basil says, looking at him while holding his hand firmly. "I'm.. Y - You can't keep running away. Sunny." Hearing such demanding tones from the once frail and shy boy he knew was surreal. But he knew that was good. It meant Basil was healing. If he weren't so distraught, he'd cry out of relief to see he was okay.

"Please just.. Stay a little? I want to talk for a bit more. Then you can go. I swear I won't bother you again." Don't say that, his hand itched. You don't bother me, you never have and never did. His nails dug into the palms of his hand as hard as he could, in hopes to suppress the surge of emotion.

A part of him wanted to sob, a part wanted to hug the boy so close that he'd choke him. The rest was full of resentment. Basil was just as guilty as he was. He screwed him over just as much as he did to himself. Why didn't he just get _help?_ Why the fuck did he think that hanging her would make it better. Why did he agree with him, why did he listen, why the FUCK did he push Mari down the stairs?

"Stop." Basil says quietly, forcing his hands into his own. "Don't do that." Sunny finds himself listening, as much as he doesn't want too. "We.. There's a lot to talk about. But it can wait, I just need to hear from you for now, okay?" Sunny could pull away and leave the boy alone, like he always did. But he he found himself sitting still, listening to him as he tried find words to sputter out. "Please tell me, I'm serious, Sunny. How are you?" The question was so simple, so little and so pointless. Yet, he found himself lost. 

"I don't know."


	2. Chapter 2

The talk with Basil went as expected.

Are you doing okay? How is your mom. Are you planning college? What _are_ you doing, Sunny? What have you been doing for the past years.

The simple response was; I don't know. Because he didn't. He wasn't sure if he should focus on college, or anything similar. The idea filled him with dread, and he would rather wait a few years before considering it. He didn't want to pile on more stress and unneeded debt onto his plate, especially when it was only him and his mother. Even then, if he had a job, it still would be a hard no. It just didn't work that simply, as much as he wished it did.

Sunny managed to leave Basil and his apparent friend, Heather, but wasn't going empty handed. He held a small paper with Basil's number on it, despite it being hastily jotted down, it was still pretty and fancy looking. He had as many questions as the blonde boy, the main being, since when did he work in the city? He should've asked before hand, but it was too late.

The pale boy sat on his bed, staring down at the paper blankly. Basil had asked him to text him, to give him a sign that he made it home safely. But Sunny wasn't sure if he wanted too. Tearing his eyes from the numbers, he stares at his wall blankly, attempting to conjure up the confidence to simply tear the number to shreds and never think of it again, or simply text the damn boy. Both felt impossible, to which he opted to let it fall onto the floor. Sunny forced his way under his covers and curled in on himself, hugging himself tightly as he listened to the silence that filled the room. 

His mother wouldn't be home till later the next day, which left him alone. That could be a good or a bad thing, depending on who was thinking about it. To him it was good, it meant more sleep, more alone time and no constant dread on having to explain himself for strange habits he had gained over the years. He hid them well, but it didn't mean it wasn't any better. 

Sleeping was the main one, the only he was used to. 

He wasn't sure when he fell asleep, but he did. He knew so once he woke up in the familiar blinding setting of White Space. He lays on his back, staring up at the endless white sky. The laptop he once had was no longer, same with Mewo. He never questioned where it went, or why they were taken away, and instead accepted it as a punishment of sorts. Omori was sick of this, and Sunny knew that.

Said boy forced himself into a sitting position, pure white hands tugging lightly on his familiar black socks. Omori made sure to fix them more properly, only to advert his gaze at the same white door that taunted him. In any given case, he wouldn't exist. He would merely be a fragment of Sunny. But considering the boy was asleep, he was forced to live his life - as if nothing had ever changed, or happened. The world stayed remotely the same. He was coddled by his friends constantly, but lately they were disappearing more often. They would peek in and say hello to him when he entered the Neighbors Room. But after that, he was left alone. If he wanted to hang out, he usually had to find them himself.

It really wasn't an issue. He just was confused to why it was happening.

Mari sat on her familiar blanket, taking a bite from a slice of watermelon she had in front of her. She noted Omori entering the playground, knife heavy in hand as he walked to her. 

"You finally got out." She says happily, looking at him warmly. "You haven't left your room for awhile, I was starting to get worried, little brother!" Omori plopped next to her, bringing his knees to his chest. Mari looked at him a moment longer, only to force herself to look elsewhere. "Aubrey, Kel and Hero are at this new area." She started, side-eyeing the dull boy in hopes to get his interest. "It came out of no where, it seemed. It's a strange city, and seems to be plant based." Omori was aware of what she was referring too.

The city, Sunny's new home. Now part of his dream world, but less.. Dull. Instead, in his dreams it was full of strange exotic plants. Some alive, and living their lives normal. Some just planted to be sold or fawned over. 

"Why don't you visit them? I'm certain they'll be happy to see you finally out." Mari nudged him lightly with her shoulder. Omori let her do so, only to heavily lean against her afterwards. "Brother." She says quietly, frowning lightly. "Why are you being so closed off? Do you need me to go with you? I know I typically stay back, but.." She thinks over her options, soon sitting up and gathering her picnic items, sliding them into her basket. "I wouldn't be obliged to trail alongside you. It has been awhile since it was just us two."

Mari couldn't remember if she ever went alongside the group, let alone with Sunny. She could of sworn it happened, it had to of, at least once.

"Maybe if we even find a neat little place, we can have a picnic. You can help me set it up!" Excited at the idea, she shut the basket and stood to her feet, reaching her hand out. "Come on Omori, it will be just like old times. Nothing better then some sibling bonding!" Omori stared at her hand silently, hesitant as he reached to grab onto it.

She helps him up, smiling at him proudly. "Perfect. This will be fun. We can check out that local farm near by," so much new things had popped into place. Omori wasn't sure if he liked it. New things were scary. "Gather some snacks for us and the others.. Oh, trust me. You won't regret this." She held onto her little brother's hand, beginning to walk with him at her side. She held her basket firmly in the other, humming a gentle tune as she lead the way. Despite them just having gotten up, in a matter of moments they were already somewhere new. Omori wasn't sure if it was because of him spacing out, or if his sister somehow teleported. Both seemed like reasonable options, to his dismay. He would never know, in that case.

"Omori?" Mari asks quietly, squeezing his hand gently. 

He looks at her in confusion, eyes following where she looked at.

They were in an empty field, not close to resembling the farm she had mentioned. The grass was a reddish shade, more grey-toned.. Pastel, really. The sky was a soft orange, transcended with yellow clouds. 

"Basil!" Mari calls out, setting her picnic down and waving excitedly. "Omori, look! Its Basil!" She says joyfully. Omori only stares at the boy, not giving a response to either his sister or the gentle wave Basil shoots his way. Mari leaves his side, happily running to the green haired boy. She takes him in a tight hug, nuzzling her face into his hair. Omori still only stares. The warm hues of the field seemed to falter, melting into the same monotonal palette he was used to from himself and the White Space. The colorful Mari he walked with his in a white dress, just as white as himself with void-like hair.. As his own.

Basil remained the same. Colorful, cheery. He just stares, noting as Mari's body gets limper and limper by the second. It wasn't till she felt to the ground, that Omori darted their way. He's on his knees in seconds, tugging Mari closely. Shaking her, opening his mouth but unable to yell anything to the girl.

Her blood is pooling around them, and it won't stop. 

"Sunny." 

Basil whimpers, looking down at the two sitting before him. Her blood was staining his hands, staining his skin and hueing him lightly in red. 

"I know you didn't do it." The green boy continued, shakily kneeling before Omori and his sister. Mari's eyes were open, yet looked so dull and fake almost. Her clean dress was stained with her own blood, her blood that wouldn't stop flowing. "You couldn't of." Omori's hands trembled as he stared at him, hastily looking back to his sister and meeting her face once again. Except, it wasn't her. It was her, but it wasn't real. She didn't look like this.

Her neck was deformed, long and thin. Her hair looked like hundreds of spiders, and Omori even swore he saw some trailing across her pale, dead skin. Her face was empty, mouth unnaturally agape. She only stared at him, staring deep into his eyes as the hair that was tangled around her consumed him. He felt it wrap around his hands, crawling up his arms like bugs attracted to a rotting corpse. "It was behind you."

He saw Basil's colored hand move to clasp over his own, disregarding the spider-like hair that coated his skin. Mari's blood began to stain Basil, too.

"I can help you."

Basil's eyes were empty. "I can save you."

Sunny hazily opened his eyes, laying flat on his back at staring up at the ceiling silently. He stayed like that, breathing out slowly before he tugged himself up. His eyes drawled to his computer's monitor, it being the only light within his room. 5 AM, it read. He was out for a few hours. Sighing, he lays back down and rubs his face with his hands harshly. His hand moves around across his bed, stopping once it touched his phone. Tugging it closer, to turns it on - instantly turning the brightness nearly completely down. His fingers tapped ideally at the sides, waiting for a command. 

What was he doing?

He rolls on his belly and leans off the bed, hand scrambling down to reach the forgotten paper he'd previously thrown. Once it was in his grasp, he rolled back over and unraveled it. Jotting the numbers into his contacts, he saves it and instantly moves to the newly started conversation.

'Are you awake?' 

He sends simply, staring at the screen desperately. He wouldn't admit, he never would, but he wanted a response from the boy badly. He wasn't sure why, but the heaviness in his stomach only twisted and hurt as he thought of Basil. He couldn't tell what the feeling was, but whatever it was, he was hoping to bypass it by.. Conversing, he supposed. To distract himself, to do anything.

'I actually just woke up, so yes, I am :D.' 

Sunny looked over the message, reading it over and over again until he got the confidence to reply. 

'Why do you work in the city?'

'Town doesn't have flower shops. Plus, I'm used to coming down here for needed materials.. Polly has been staying with me ever since then. She's more of a bigger sister to me, now.'

Why did that make Sunny shake in his spot, why did he wanted to scream and pull out his hair.

'She opts to take me down here for stuff that I need, and the girl you met noticed me coming so frequently.. So, she asked if I was interested. I'm not planning on college so soon, maybe in a year or so, so I figured this would be a nice start for me to get out there.. You know? It's short shifts, since the shop isn't open for that long. Mostly during the day, where the most folk come and stuff..'

'Sunny? Are you there? Did you fall asleep? I kinda hope you did. It's late.'

He shuts his phone off, sliding it away and moving to lay back on his side. He hugged himself tightly and stared at his door, the slight gap it had from being ajar was all he could focus on. He stared blankly until the world around him melted. Until nothing felt real, and the only thing in the universe was him and.. This door. He wasn't sure how long it lasted, only snapping out of it once the stinging of his eyes reminded him that he hadn't blinked since the start of his 'moment'.

Giving in, he rubs his eyes and rolls to face the wall. The wall wasn't safe, he could still easily fall into a trance and get lost in his own head as he started at the wall like a freak. Yet, he didn't. He thought of what to do, what he _could_ do

He was interrupted from his thoughts as his phone vibrated. Multiple times, actually.

'Uh, if you're there, I was wanting to ask you something.'

'Obviously if you'd rather not talk more that's ok! its been a long time, its fine! I'd rather you get more comfortable with me again.. Like old times, you know?'

'...Sorry.'

'Wait, no I'm not.'

'That sounded mean! I mean, I did nothing wrong.. I think. I just don't want to bother you, but you haven't said I did, so I'm.. Assuming its ok!'

Sunny's fingers dance across the small text-board on his phone. He finds himself pressing random letters and numbers, making a row of pure nonsense. He then deletes it, and forces himself to give an actual response.

'You're not annoying me. What did you want to ask'

He wasn't sure if he was being honest. The swell of rage he felt previously said otherwise, but it wasn't like it was Basil's fault. Sunny didn't know what was wrong anymore.

'OK! COOL. I'm glad to know C: Well.. I was going to ask, would you maybe want to'

'Like..'

'Stay at my house? For a bit? So you can visit Faraway. I know it's been a long time, but I'm certain it will be worth your time! I really missed you, Sunny. I wanted to get in touch with you, but with everything that happened.. I was kinda scared? That, and I had no way to message you anymore. But I've been thinking about it more and more, and I know I want to see you again!'

'It was ironic you actually walked in to the shop, it was like it was meant to be!'

Basil's giddiness made Sunny feel.. Weird. The familiar filth littered his skin and clogged his lungs, and he found himself wishing Basil would instead yell at him then act like this. He had another eye, he would hand it over to have the affection stop.

'Yeah. Sorry about that. I needed some time.'

'I figured so. Well, its been 3 years!'

'...Do you think that's long enough?'

Truthfully, no. It wasn't. He didn't want to see Basil, it was just a mishap. He didn't want to think of his hometown, of Mari's gravestone, of anything that happened there.

He left the photo album at Kel's house for a reason. 

'I dunno, sorry.'

'NO its ok! It was really sudden, sorry! I should of waited. But, I do mean it.. I think it would be nice to have you stay for a bit. I understand if you don't want to stay with me, considering.. But, I swear things are different. I've done a lot of work to fix up everything in my head, and by the looks of it, you seem to have done the same!'

Sunny could only frown at his comment. He had done the opposite, it seemed. He swore he was getting worse.

'Therapy can do wonders, haha'

'Oh gosh sorry, RAMBLING. Anyways, the offer is open! I mean it. Kel has been talking about you lately, too.'

He finds his hands rapidly typing, giving no second though to his response.

'Why'

He wasn't certain what kind of response he would get. He wasn't certain why he even asked, because why would Basil know? It wasn't like he was in Kel's brain, or knew his intentions. Basil wasn't Kel. The response didn't come for a few seconds, which slid into minutes. Around 5 minutes, Sunny found himself setting his phone back down and looking back up at the ceiling. His stomach growled, demanding food. He let the weird pain continue until it became too much, lazy legs swinging over his bed and dragging him to the kitchen. His eyes scanned in the fridge at various left overs, then moved to the freezer. Then back to the fridge, and.. 

They didn't really have much. Not anything he was willing to eat, that was.

He rubbed his arm silently and turned on his heel, moving to a cupboard nearby. He stared at the contents, which was really just some snack foods. Sunny knew his mother would scold him, knew she'd want him to have a real mean. But she wasn't here. So, he grabbed some chips and moved back to the freezer. Tugging out a thing of ice-cream, he plopped the cold sweet in a cup (don't ask) and snatched a spoon. He forced himself back to his room, making sure to shut his door completely this time.

Taking a spoonful of the cold treat, he sits on the edge of his bed and sets the chips aside. He notes his phone still remaining on his bed, face down, and hesitantly grabs it. It is cold compared to the warmth it once held. He screws around with the thin casing of it, soon turning it on curiously.

The notification let him know that Basil responded. It was relieving, but also kinda nerve-wracking. He slides the conversation open and scrolls past their previous texts, stopping once it hit the bottom - reading Basil's response slowly. Carefully.

'Sunny, don't be silly. Of course Kel would think of you, I know I'm not answering, but.. He does care about you, you know that right? I may not know the exact reason, but I can at least tell you I am certain its because he misses you. Having your best friend just drop from Earth is.. Sucky. I don't blame you, but don't you think its time to connect again? Maybe the long wait was even a good thing. Letting everyone digest the truth.'

He forgot about that. The ice-cream he was eating suddenly felt too heavy, but he continued to pick at it and shove it into his mouth.

'I'm certain everyone has had enough time themselves to process things. You won't know till you give us a chance, Sunny. If it helps, Hero and Aubrey still talk to me. At first when they found out, they avoided me like I was a plague. But they eventually came to terms, and slowly came back and connected with me. Believe it or not, Hero was the most understanding out of the two. He looked so sad, Sunny. But he still gave me a chance. He still came to me when I needed someone to cry on, or if I was having scary urges and thoughts. Hero was always there for me. Let it be on call, or the times he visits. If he can forgive me, there is no doubt he'll forgive his true love's brother. Mari would of wanted it.'

Mari was dead. Sunny ate the remains of the ice-cream, staring blankly forwards. She would want him to be punished. No, she wouldn't, a voice growls in the back of his head. And Sunny knew it was true. But it didn't matter, because he wanted to suffer, and he hadn't gotten enough punishment for his crimes. He wasn't off the hook, not yet. He got to decide when he was, when he finally hit his limit and succumbed to his own karma. 

'I want it, Sunny. So.. Just let me know whenever you're ready, okay? My home is always open for you, as long as you want. And since we're all out of school, it'll be easy to work around! Hero is actually coming down too, so it would work perfectly if you did.'

His stomach churned, and the he found himself jolting up from his spot and forcing his door open. He made his way instantly to the bathroom.

'I'll let you think it over. Let me know soon, okay? I love you, Sunny. Please don't forget that. No matter what.'


	3. Chapter 3

So, Sunny made his choice. It was a difficult one, but he tried to convince himself it was for the better good. To maybe get at least an inch or two of the guilt scraped from his plate. He knew it wouldn't be that simple, but silently praying that Basil could somehow help him out was the main thing keeping him up and at it.

The only conflict was his mother. She had been anxious to let him go back, but only worsened as she asked who he'd be staying with. "The boy who took your eye!" She'd exclaim, shaking his shoulders lightly. "He stabbed you, Sunny. I can't lose my baby boy, please. I can't do this again, Sunny. Please don't go." He hadn't seen her so stressed out. In a spur of the moment, he opted to tell her he'd stay with Kel instead.

It was a lie.

She was still hesitant, but reluctantly let him at the promise he'd so. He was more then certain he'd be seeing Kel anyways, so he could get him in on the deal.

With her working so much, he took the bus. It wasn't too far, so it wouldn't be that much of a terrible ride. Four or five hours in the least. 

He hadn't had to worry of the ride regardless, as he found himself falling into a deep sleep on the way there. He dreamt of him and Mari, visiting a pond and feeding the ducks. He woke up once hundreds of thin tendrils reached out and pulled Mari in, drowning her right before his eyes.

Perfect timing, he thinks groggily. The bus came to a halt, which notified him of his stop. Him and perhaps a few other people got off, and he watched silently as the bus drove off. No going back now. Exhaling shakily, he turns around and looks at the familiar town before him. He still needed to do some walking, especially if he wanted to go to Basil's, but he opted to take a moment to himself. Walking along the crosswalk with a backpack on, full with the bare minimum of needed items, he observed all the old houses curiously. They hadn't changed a bit. Perhaps the paint was lightly flaking off some, or the roof was a different color then before; for the overall run, it was identical.

If he took a left he'd be near his old home, and Kel's. He avoided that path, strictly walking away until he found himself entering Faraway Plaza. The sight of some people walking out put him a little on edge, arms tight against his chest as he made his way through. He was certain no one would recognize him, not really, but he still was paranoid. 

He stopped once he stood in front of HOBBEEZ, eyeing the banner meekly before finding himself walking in. Unsurprisingly, things were still the same. Save new items, but otherwise nothing changed. He decided to check things out to waste time, looking over comics and newly released games. A little boy was staring at him a few feet away, and Sunny took that moment as his time to leave. Not completely, though. He stepped into the nearby market to avoid anyone else, hoping to hide away and just stall time before he had to face Basil. He had some money to buy stuff, so he decided to merely get a drink and check out the candy shop. He didn't have a sweet tooth, not really, but he needed to waste time! That and maybe he could comfort eat if he so needed it.

Idling through the millions of flavors of taffy and gummies, he stops near the chocolate section and snags something wrong. Something about raspberry and dark chocolate, it sounded kinda weird but maybe it would be worth it. Moving to the cashier, he notes that its a new girl from the one he'd seen years ago (well duh). She says something, but he's staring to space out. He doesn't remember their interaction, only processing he payed and was not outside of the store. Sighing heavily, he shoves the candy in his pocket and keeps a hold onto his drink, not opening it just yet as he lazily strolled on the familiar sidewalk. The idle sound of people talking filled his ears, which only told him to go the exact other way. He turned on his heel, doing as his brain commanded, but stopped as a girl obnoxiously yelled.

"Hey!" She nearly screeched. He fearfully looked behind himself, tensed up. "I know YOU." She says again, and in that moment Sunny realizes who was screeching at him. Kim. "Hey, hey!" Kim turns away, trying to get the attention of the other people aside her. He's certain its the rest of their 'gang', but he doesn't bother to try and process each and every one. He only pays attention as Kim shakes a pink haired girl, instantly getting her attention and causing her to look his way. 

"Shit." He breaths out quietly, eyes widening before he completely darted for it. He heard her yell something, but he doesn't look back, he just keeps running. Aubrey looked the same, but obviously.. Well, older. Her dark roots were showing under her pink hair, the tips lighter as the dye bled out it seemed from there specifically. He kept himself occupied by pointing out ever difference he'd seen in the girl, dully noting the playground as he ran past it. He wasn't sure if she was following, but he wasn't going to take a chance! He turns on the familiar curb of the sidewalk and slows down as the nature-ridden house came into sight. It had a few of the same plants he recognized, but a ton of more larger and new ones as well. Trotting up to the door, he tries to catch his breath and gently scraps his knuckles on the door.

The knock didn't get any attention, making Sunny puff out quietly and give another more firm knock. He heard movement inside the house, but tried to not think about it.

He felt like he was going to puke, his hands were trembling and he swore right then and there he was going to burst into tears. The real issue was he wasn't even sure why he was so stressed out. This was _nothing._ In fact, he should be grateful Basil accepted him so quickly. Why was he being so secluded? Was this all he was going to be now? Isolated forever, only to cry like a child if he had to face his fears and -

"Sunny! Oh, gosh, hello!" Basil's voice rung through his head like music, but given his stress it felt like knifes scraping down his skull. "Come in, silly." The blonde boy murmurs quietly, letting out a slight laugh. He tugs Sunny in gently and shuts the door behind him, looking to him with a genuine and real smile. On the other hand, Sunny can merely look at him stoically - nothing had changed almost. But Sunny knew better. He couldn't let himself get comfortable, not ever again. "Sunny?" Last time he did that, he got close to people and ruined his relationships. He didn't deserve another chance. 

"Hey, Sunny." Why did he even come? Was Basil actually going to kill him? "Oh, gosh, uhh. Here. H - Hey, can you breathe for me?" Oh, Mom was right. He was going to finish the job. "Please do it fast." He says to himself, nearly a whisper then anything. He just it to be done fast, he didn't want to see or hear or -

Basil's hands gently trailed up his arms, resting on his shoulders and pressing down on him. His touch was heavy, and grounded him. Sunny found the bombarding thoughts faltering one by one, to which he stared up at him in confusion. "..Uhm." Sunny murmurs quietly, quickly looking down, face flushed red. "This.. Sorry." He grumbles, pulling away quickly. "That, uh. That.. I'm really sorry, that was weird, I swear it doesn't happen that often, I'm just really.. Urgh, I _don't know_." Sunny groans, covering his face. He hears Basil laugh quietly, making him look up curiously. He continues to look at him with a warm, opening expression. 

"Sunny.. O - Obviously I get it. I used to have panic attacks all the time." He reassures, giving him a gentle pat on the shoulder. His closeness made him feel nervous, yet at the same time he wanted it to continue. The desire to be coddled yet also be left alone was utterly conflicting.

Basil continues, tugging away lightly and instead grasping his hands gently. "I still do, but its not as often. I can maybe give you some tips?" He tilts his head, looking at Sunny expectantly. "Sure." He blurts out. "That.. Yeah. That's fine, just some other time probably." Nodding in agreement, he helps Sunny back to his feet and stands alongside him. Now finally calm (for the most part), Sunny looks around himself. Things stayed fairly similar, but there were noticeable changes to the home. "You like it?" He asks keenly, clasping his hands together. "Polly and I changed a lot in here. Mom and Dad still are barely home, so.. You know." He shrugged. "We decided to make it more.. Homey. F - For us, that was." Sunny could tell, given the new look yet familiar aesthetic the home held.

"A - Anyways.." Clearing his throat, he looks back to Sunny and shoots another smile his way. This one is much shyer, he notes. "I'm really glad to see you.. I'm glad you - uhm.. You know. A - Agreed! I wasn't expecting that, honestly." Gazing off to his side, he trails off but jumps right back up soon after. "Oh! Here, you can put your stuff in my room." Basil took his hand gently and brought him upstairs, and Sunny could only stare at their intertwined hands in silence. 

He barely realized they were in his room till Basil called out for him, expression faltered. "Are you sure you're okay?" He asks quietly, brows furrowing. "You know, uh.. Its been awhile, but you can talk to me. I - If need be, duh!" He lets out a nervous laugh.

Sunny thinks over his choices. All of them seem dumb, so he simply takes of his backpack and sets it down, looking around the room. This was the room, he reminds himself. This is where it happened. Looking back to Basil, and staring at his welcoming smile - it just didn't add up. What was wrong with them? "You changed things around here, too." Sunny says quietly, looking away again. "Oh, yes. Changed the rest of the house, might as well do here too." The blonde walked to sit on his bed, scooting and patting it happily. Sunny forced himself to walk to him, sitting down and clasping his hands together tightly. "Do you like it? I think its less, uhm.." He trails off, hand raised to his chin as he pondered for the word he was looking for.

"Bad feeling." Sunny blurts out, catching Basil off guard. "..Bad feeling." He repeats, thinking the words over. "That is one way to put it, I s - suppose!" He laughs a bit. "I'd say that works. A fresh start, you know? I'm rather fond of it." His eyes drift to the few plants he had along his window. They were flowers, none he knew or would ever know. Too many names, they all just jumbled together at one point. "Oh, do you like those?" Basil asks, noting his gaze. He stands up and grabs the small pot, bringing the flower close and sitting back down to show it off. It was rather dull. "Its a white stargazer lily." Basil says, a pale hand raising to gently press against one of the petals. "Its been striving for awhile now, actually. A lot of my other flowers have been.. Not working out so well." He admits sheepishly. "I might have to see if the seeds are.. M - messed with. Or perhaps I'm using the wrong stuff. All have certain requirements after all." Sunny keeps quiet, instead keeping his eyes fixed on the flower.

"But, at least its pretty! Right?" He pushes it closer to Sunny, and he finds himself raising a hand as well and gently touching the petals. "..Yeah." He says quietly. "I like it."

Right answer, apparently. Basil beams at this, and giggles quietly. "I knew you would. You like more.. Simpler things. I can appreciate that."

He moves to put the flower back, and he begins to speak again. Sunny was listening, but at a certain point he started to space out. He stared blankly forwards, eyes focusing on the garden sheers on his desk. He continued to stare, eyesight going fuzzy and blurring just barely as his eyes hyper focused. He wasn't sure how long he was staring, but he caught notice to his thoughts beginning to melt into the familiar nonsense he was always dealing with. The what ifs, the maybes.. Except this time he wasn't afraid. He felt sick, though. Perhaps the nerves were still getting the best of him.

"...And I was hoping to also - ah. Sunny?" Basil looks at him, brows furrowing. "Sorry." He mutters, looking up apologetically. "I kinda.. I'm," Basil doesn't need an answer and nods understandingly regardless. "Yeah. I - I mean, its fair." He says quieter, eyes following where he stared earlier. 

Basil's blue eyes observed the garden sheers, but not nearly as long as Sunny.

"You must be tired! It is getting a bit late, after all. Uhm. If you wanna sleep its completely fine!" He reassures, arms moving behind his back. "You look really tired, anyways." Sunny knew he was just being himself, familiar caring Basil, but he still couldn't help but let out a slight laugh at the observation. "Yeah. I guess I am." He didn't want to sleep. As much as he wanted to escape reality, sleep wasn't enough anymore. It seemed both worlds were nightmares he couldn't escape.

"Then nap, silly!" Basil pushes Sunny down lightly, smiling at him. "You, uh. Y - You can use my bed. I need to finish some planting anyways. I can wake you up for dinner?" Sunny knows he's expecting a yes, but the urge to say no was still on the tip of his tongue. "Totally."

"Cool! Okay, good.. Uhm. Well, in that case." Basil looked at the ground, shifting in his spot anxiously. "I'll see you until then. Since we don't have a spare room, I hope you don't mind the couch." He'd prefer the couch, honestly. Something about being in Basil's bed felt weird. He knew he slept with the other boy countless times at sleepovers, but the coiling discomfort was more then enough to put him on edge. "Its fine, Basil." Sunny tries to say in a reassuring tone, looking at him with a forced grin. "It'll be like old times." No it wont, he reminds himself. Nothing will ever be the same.

"Y - Yeah!" Basil exclaims. "Lovely.. Well, night night Sunny!" He coos, giggling a bit as he left him be. He turned the light off and shut the door for Sunny, leaving him alone. He held his breath until he heard his footsteps falter down the stairs and eventually become silence. 

"..." Sunny stares at the ceiling, letting the shadows of the room swirl together into familiar masses of tendrils he was all too familiar with.

Welcome home Sunny, he thinks bitterly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i wrote this at 4 am so sorry its not as good! i was wanting to write more, but im EXHAUSTED. and sorry for any errors! the following chapters will be way more entertaining, swear!


	4. Chapter 4

Just as he assumed, getting used to being around Basil again was hard. The paranoia he’d feel at times was part of it, not wanting to do much as read something wrong from Basil — to avoid anything happening between the two.   
It wasn’t that he didn’t trust him, it was.. It was something. He wasn’t sure what it was, but something was pulling him back from getting close again.

He stayed alongside Basil most of the time, spending time in his home catching up, or going outside to his back yard to tend to some of his plants. It wasn’t his kinda thing, but he did enjoy it more then he let on. It was different compared to what he did at home, which really only consisted of sleeping all day or mindlessly roaming the city. Or doodling, but that was rare.

Like the past few days, Sunny sat on the cool grass while he watched Basil curiously. It bugged him to an extent to who similar he stayed. Sure, he grew up, but he still held that gentle charm he always had.

Sunny noted he was less obsessive then when he last saw him. He couldn’t decipher if that was something from him healing from everything, or just him trying to detach himself from Sunny. Or maybe he was overthinking things.

“Hey? Sunny?” Basil calls out quietly, adverting his eyes back to the dark haired boy. Sunny looks up hesitantly and keeps quiet, only tilting his head to show his acknowledgment.

Basil shifts in his spot, wiping some dirt from his hands on his pants before making way to where he sat. Sitting aside him gently, he fumbled with his hands carefully and noticeably struggled to get the words out. “.. I’m, uh. I’m really happy you’re here.” Basil started, still keeping his eyes glued downwards.   
Was he kicking me out already, Sunny thinks dully.

”But.. I - I can’t keep you to myself, you know?” He looks up to Sunny meekly, eyes reading his face fir any sort of expression. He remained stoic, regardless.   
“I’m not sure if you knew, but.. Well. Obviously Kel wants to see you. But — but I guess Aubrey saw you, too?..”

Sunny moves in his spot and rubs his eye carefully, exhaling softly. “I - I mean, obviously you don’t NEED too. But, you know.. I figured that —“

Sunny moves to lay on his back, staring up to the sky hazily. Basil notes this, and stared quietly. “Yeah.” He started. “She saw me. It was when I was walking to your place. Actually,” Sunny laughs just barely. “She actually chased me. I somehow out ran her, though.”

Basil pouts, but doesn’t interrupt. Instead, he shifts a bit before opting to lay aside Sunny, looking up at the same sky.

”Did you not wanna see her?” The blonde asks quietly.

Sunny thinks over the question, but finds himself lacking an answer. “..I dunno.” He murmurs, settling the question with that. Basil doesn’t push, only nodding and letting silence fill between the two.

The silence had been tense, but it was slowly losing that tension. Basil knew it would be slow, but he was making progress, and before he’d know it he would have his best friend back. The idea fluttered warmth inside his chest, but he quickly shoved it down. He couldn’t get his hopes up, not everything would just work out. Not right away, surely.

“Well..” He hums quietly, thinking over the options. “Would you be against seeing her?”

”I —.. I don’t think so?” Sunny shuts his eye, heavily exhaling. “It’s just.. Weird. I dunno. I didn’t expect to ever come back to here. No less see you, or anyone for that matter.”

The words made Basil pout, but he could only nod understandingly. “Well, I guess you’ll just have to deal with us, huh?” He teases quietly, nudging hun just barely. At first he grew nervous over the contact he pressed against Sunny, but eased down as he saw the other begin to smile. “I guess so. It seems you guys are always just pulling me back.” Sunny nudges back, and eventually just settled with leaning against him softly.

“Duh! We care about you. I - I care about you.” Sunny didn’t respond this time, keeping still as he took advantage of the warmth and ease he felt in the moment.

”..Hey, Sunny?” He starts again. Sunny tiredly opens his eyes, looking to him more properly. “Mm?..” 

Basil looks around anxiously, swallowing tightly before he exhaled. “Can I — uh. Can I tell you something? O - Or ask something?” The possibilities were endless, Sunny thinks. There was no way he’d be able to single one out..

“Go for it?”

”Did you —“

_“BASIL.”_

Both boys jolt up violently, eyes wide as they looked at one another. Basil opened his mouth to speak, but was shut down again. “You better open this door! Or I’ll have Kim axe it down!”

Stumbling to his feet, Basil quickly goes back inside with Sunny in tow. He stays behind him, staring anxiously as the blonde moved to the door.

“U - Uhm, one moment!” He exclaims.

The rapid knocking didn’t stop. “No way, it’s been two days — you can’t do this!” Aubrey says, voice cracking with emotion. Basil shot him an apologetic look, hand grasping onto the door knob while his other moves to unlock said door.

He just barely opens it when the girl forced her way in, nearly smashing him with the door. 

“Sunny.” She hisses out, stepping in and glaring at the boy. Now closer, he could really make out the changes in her. Her roots definitely showed, but something about it was endearing.. Like an ombré almost. Dark chocolate to strawberry.   
She wore the slightest bit of lip gloss, glitter dancing in her lips. Aside that, the rough and tough exterior she had before stayed. Only a few things she let stay that were ‘girly’.

Sunny expected the worst. He expected her to beat him with her bat, punch him in the face, maybe even give him revenge and stab him with a knife. Instead, the girl walked in further meekly and throws herself onto him. She’s strong, far stronger then him. Her arms wrap around him, squeezing tightly as her face pressed into his neck.

He stays still, letting her stay as he looked at Basil in shock. The boy looked back, just as lost and stuck.

”Why did you just go?” She says lowly, hands gripping onto his clothes.

“...”

Pulling away, she looks at him with tears in her eyes — yet her expression riddled in anger then remorse. “W - Why do you keep doing that? Why do you just.. Hide away. And leave us to rot! You bastard!” She tugs away and punches his chest roughly, causing him to breath out roughly.

Basil is at his side quickly, standing between the two.   
He looks terrified, but keeps his spot.

”A - Aubrey. Stop.” He says, staring at her firmly. His hands are bawled into fists, shaking lightly. “He just.. Sunny just came back. Please don’t do this, not again.”

The ‘again’ triggered her particularly, hands twitching as she looked away and rose her hands to her hair and tugged. “It’s not OKAY.” She says loudly. “You — I didn’t know where you were. No one knew where you moved, except Kel and Hero. And even then, they didn’t know the specifics. Sunny, I.” She trails off, the same tears returning to her eyes. Sunny notes of the black trails on her face. When did she start wearing mascara?

It looked good on her.

”I fucking thought you died. It’s — it’s so stupid, but. With everything that happened, I.. I was scared you couldn’t hold it up.” She stared at the ground heavily, chest raising and lowering in shaky movements. “I - I thought that I’d never see you again, and here you are.” The bitterness in her tone had noticeably backed off as she continued, eyes looking up back to Sunny’s

“..I’m sorry.” She whimpers, brows furrowing as her walls broke down. Sunny was at her side in seconds, hugging her tightly as she sobbed against him. “I - I don’t wanna be alone. I have friends, but it’s not the same, I just need to know you’re okay — and then the memories I have can live on.” She trembled, starting to ease down as his hand hesitantly moved to her hair. He strokes her head gently, refusing to let go, despite how uncomfortable he felt.

“It’s so scary. I pushed you away, but now I’m not letting it happen.” Basil shifted in his spot, and stepped closer.

”And you.” She huffs, pulling away to look at Basil. “Did you think I wouldn’t find out? That none of us would? Were you just trying to hog him to yourself? You — you,”

Sunny grabs at her shoulder softly. She instantly quiets down.

”It was me.” He says quietly.

Aubrey looks at Basil a moment longer, blinking slowly before turning around. “...”

“I’m.. I’m scared.” Sunny admits meekly, crossing his arms over his chest. “Our last interaction was at the hospital, and I —“

_I need to tell you something._

Aubrey shakes her head and pouts at Sunny, jabbing his chest sigh her finger. “No. Don’t even. I’m.. Look.” She sighs, hands moving to rub at her eyes, smearing some of her makeup on her cheeks. “I was pissed when you said that. I - I wanted to kill you myself. But.. Then I remembered..” She grabs at her arm anxiously, looking at the ground.

“I was in your same position, Sunny. If you weren’t there, if it was only Basil and I? W - When I shoved him in the water, it would be the same situation as you.”

She turns around to Basil, giving an apologetic look. “.. I was only lucky. I have no where to be made at you, when I did the exact same thing. I’m still upset, Sunny, but I understand more then you’d imagine.” Her words both filled him with guilt, yet at the same time utter reassurance.

“So.. So don’t run away, bastard. We can both be fuck ups together, okay?”

Basil points and shakes his head, making his way back to them. “Aubrey, come on.. Y - You two aren’t — aren’t, uhm.”

  
She laughs full heartedly, sniffing quietly before flashing the blonde a lazy grin. “Oh, can it. You gouged his eyes out. You’re stuck in this group too.” Basil flinched at her words, tensing up whilst looking shocked.   
To both of their shock, Sunny began to laugh.

”It doesn’t make us bad. Just a bit lost.” She finished, moving to grab Sunny’s hand tightly - her other grabbing Basil’s.

  
”Now.. That I have you where I want. It’s time for some bonding, there’s so much I gotta show you, Sunny. You’re not gonna run away, not this time!”


	5. Chapter 5

Aubrey managed to keep Sunny and Basil out till it was nearly pitch black outside.

The two opting to show him the new things in town, which seemed small at first thought - but upon growing up in this place, and seeing new buildings; it was rather surreal. They had (or Aubrey had) snagged some pizza from Gino's before it closed, the three eating while sitting at the dark playground. Sunny sat on one of the swing sets, having already finished his few slices whole Aubrey and Basil sat on the ground nearby. The two were chatting loudly, with her doing most of the talking, but it was the pure fact that she wasn't at his throat that had Sunny shocked. They were interacting and joking as if they were 12 again, and something about it felt.. Wrong. 

As good as he knew it was, it just didn't feel right. He couldn't explain why exactly, but it as just what he felt.

"And - get this, she fuckin' falls straight in. Like, completely. She was brain dead! Or it looked like it." Aubrey cackles loudly, grinning widely as she took a large bite if her pizza slice. Basil grinned at the girl, tilting his head lightly to the side as he listened curiously. "Gosh.. Kim sure is something else, isn't she?" He says quietly, only to start laughing himself. Aubrey was quick to nod in agreement, swallowing down her bite before leaning forwards again. "Oh, no doubt. She's nuts, but I like that. Even though she _can_ be kinda dumb at points." She shrugs. "I'm there to ground her. And, I guess she grounds me when I get mad over nothing. So it works in the long run."

Basil smiles at her and looks down into his lap, keeping quiet for a moment before he spoke again. "I'm glad you have such good friends. It's relieving, actually." His eyes look up to meet hers. "An - And you obviously care about them a lot, too! So.."

Aubrey listens before shushing him, shoving him lightly. "Shut up. C'mon, they're my buds, but.. No one beats you guys. Kay'?" She shoots Sunny a glare as well, before said glare returned to Basil. "You guys are.. Not friends. Its kinda.. I dunno how to explain it." She huffs, shoving the last bit of pizza in her mouth. The three stay quiet for a moment, Basil eventually breaking the silence. "Its like a family thing." He says quietly, hands softly clasping together. Aubrey looks at him curiously, quirking a brow up.

"Its -.. Uhm. I - Its like were family, not friends. Its more then that.."

The pink haired girl thought over his words, and eventually nodded in agreement. "That sounds about right. Like I'm surrounded by annoying stupid brothers." She scoffs, leaning against the pole of the swing set.

"Hey!" Basil exclaims highly, cheeks flushing in color. "Come on.. I'm not like them, though." Aubrey grins widely and laughs loudly, nodding almost instantly at his statement. "You're right, your the soft brother. Perfect for me to drag you into girly-stuff with." She roughly ruffles his blonde hair, making the strands askew. Basil puffs his cheeks out, and gently pushes her hands away. She fought against him, but eventually stopped, observing her work. Said work was attempted to be fixed, the pale boy running his hands through his hair gently to put it back into places. Despite it, he was still grinning.

“Mm.. Fine. Sounds about around.” Basil mumbles begrudgingly, unable to hold back his smile.

”Softy, three annoying brothers, and smart older sister.” Aubrey breaths out softly, continuing to smile as her eyes adjusted to look up at the dark sky. “..Hey. Speaking of.” Aubrey murmurs, shifting in her spot to cast a more proper look at Sunny.

The dark haired boy hesitantly looked back, keeping a hold onto his stoic expression.   
  


“..Uhm.” She shifts a bit, hands fumbling with the bark chips anxiously. “Sunny.” She spoke in slow, drawling tones. Trying to piece together her own words. “I hope you know I’m serious. I’m not mad at you.” The playful atmosphere was replaced with the all too familiar drowning sensation. The words she spoke were caught, but he couldn’t find the will power to reply, only holding his breath for as long as he could until he was eventually forced to sputter out some kind of response.

“I’m.. Upset. Disappointed.” She starts, long nails digging into the earth her, un-afraid and not worried to dirty her nails — or so much as ruin the already peeling nail polish. “But I don’t hold anything against you. It’s —.. Its like when I shoved Basil.”

Said boy casted her a worried look, but she ignored it.

“Hero was on my ass, same with Kel. They.. They didn’t see me as the same girl they knew years ago. I didn’t either, I sometimes still struggle to actually believe I’m her.” Exhaling shakily, she tugs her hands away and rests them in her lap. They bawl together gently, in a weak attempt to warm herself upZ

“It’s hard to admit you did something fucked up, but I think I’m coming to realization with that. I’m not okay with it, but I can’t let it destroy my life, you know?”

The air was heavy, and the silence settled upon the three. The crickets were the only source of sound Sunny could put his focus on.

“Besides.. If you meant to do that, Sunny. There is no way you would hide yourself away for years. You were mourning, and..” She huffs, hands tightening around each other. “I’m mad I wasn’t there for you. For any of you guys. I was too stuck in my own weird coping method, that I forgot about everything that ever mattered. Mari would’ve been pissed at me if she saw me that way.” She sadly laughs, brows furrowing.

“..But she also wouldn’t want me to let it ruin my life. She wouldn’t want you to ruin your own life over grief. She was caring like that — you’d know first hand.”

Sunny was listening, but as she went on the words began to jumble into mixtures that just didn’t make sense.

_You’d know first hand._

_She was caring._

_You murdered her. She was caring, she loved you, and you killed her._

“Sunny?”

Said boy looks up slowly and glances off to where Aubrey and Basil sat. They both stared at him with worried expressions.

“I’m sorry if —“

“Thank you.”

Sunny says quietly, hands fidgeting sigh the chaining of the swing he sat on. “..Thank you. I mean it.” He kept his voice quiet, almost afraid if someone were to head him. “It means a lot. I’m.. Not good at showing things, but it really does mean a lot to me, Aubrey.”

Feelings were sometimes hard to emote, it had always been that way. Mari was always able to translate his strange expressions, but he knew he had to get out of his shell more sooner then later. He couldn’t keep depending like this.   
“You’re right, though. I shouldn’t worry so much. I mean it’s — uh. It’s been..” He trails off, kicking a stray chip that was near his shoe. “..Seven years.”

The realization settled in for the group, a mixture of remorse alongside with shock at how time fled so quickly.

“I think I should start healing better.” He laughs dryly upon admitting so. 

Aubrey nods in agreement, shifting in her spot to stand up snd wipe dirt from her legs. “Damn right! And we can help you. We’re not any better, we’re all struggling still, but I’m sure if we all pitch in - it’ll be easier.” She pushed a hand out to Basil, letting the boy grab onto it and gently help him up to his own feet.

“You’re the one that should be putting sense into me.” She teases, strolling to the swing he sat on.   
“You were always good at pep-talk, Aubrey.” Basil says shyly, smiling at her. “Hmm.. What can I say.” She snickers, flashing him a look before her eyes went back to Sunny. “Now.. It doesn’t matter if it’s late, not to me, but I think we should head back. Maybe we can go to Kel and Hero’s place early?”   
  
She brushes a strand of pink hair from her face, tucking it behind her ear. “Get there early so we can force him to make us breakfast.” She grins evilly.

“And so they can see Sunny, too.” Basil adds.

She scoffs and was fast to nod. “Well, yeah. That too, duh. Can we check out Mari before we split?” Her question was more hesitant then her previous booming tone. It caught Sunny off guard.

“If you, uh. You know.. _Can._ ”

Sunny began to shift off the swing set, standing to his feet and flinching once Basil quickly latched onto his hand. He squeezes it reassuringly, smiling at Sunny.   
“Yeah.” He breaths out. “I’ll be okay. Let’s do it.”

The walk was settled in a comfortable silence, with the occasional goof from the girl or question from Basil.

“So, Sunny. Any plans for ye’ ole’ future?” She drawls out with her arms behind her head. The church was getting closer and closer, notifying them that their time was coming to an end.

“Any hobbies?”

The questions had him stumped, embarrassed that he truly didn’t have an answer.

It seemed to be obvious, as she flashed him a grin and returned her eyes back forwards. “I get it. I don’t either. I just know I won’t be a dead beat like mom.” She spoke with malice in her tone, yet stay somewhat calm despite the obvious sore topic.

“Getting out there and figuring stuff out is better then hauling inside forever. Oh, uh.” She perked back up, arms moving back to her sides. “I’m actually crashing with Kim and Vance. They basically forced me when they saw.. You know.” 

Sunny didn’t know how to react. He felt bad at the lack of feeling to the situation, but felt thankful as Basil piped in.   
“Oh, that’s wonderful!” He coos happily. “I’m so glad. That’s a big relief..”

Aubrey nods quickly in agreement. “Totally. It was a bit weird, but I’m getting used to it. It somehow feels more like home then actual home.”

They reach the churches doors, to which she promptly slid them open with zero hesitation. “Oh. And Mr.Bun-Bun gets to roam around waaaay more now. Old man is striving!” She cackles, fist bumping the air before sliding inside.   
  


Basil and Sunny follow suit, eyes glancing around the darkened building. It was off putting, but given Aubrey’s confidence — it was hard to falter.

They took a turn to one of the stray doors leading outside, leading to the multitude of graves. Carefully making way around everyone, they stop in front of a modest sized stone, somewhat askew but not by any purpose. The writing was still bold as ever, despite the worn down stone.

Aubrey shifts onto her knees, sitting aside the gravestone quietly.

Basil was following near instantly, leaving Sunny to stand alone. He stared down at the two, eyes taking in their stature before hazily looking at the stone.   
Aubrey was saying something, presumably talking out loud. Basil would occasionally open his mouth to respond, or talk amongst himself as well.

Regardless, the words were silent to him. Not even the ambience of the night took his notice. His eyes hazily remained in the worn stone, vision blurring just barely as he found himself zoning out further and further, until he eventually found himself lost in the all too familiar emptiness.

Nothing had changed, Basil and Aubrey remained put. Yet, they seemed far more still then before.

Flowers fluttered in his vision, and the gravestone wasn’t there. He instead stared at Mari. Her skin was white, nearly as white as her dress she wore. Her black hair wasn’t askew as he remembered her last, instead brushed carefully and put into place neatly with a bobby pin.

She stared at Sunny, and took a step closer. The flowers in his vision danced violently, ceasing all together once she grabbed his hands.

“Let’s go.” Mari says quietly, smiling at him. And then she’s gone.

He pops back into reality with the sight of Aubrey in front of him, holding his hands with a worried look. Basil is behind her, unsure of what to do about the situation.

With not another word, she leads the boys from the church silently, only perking up as they walked her back home. She thanked them with tight hugs, and perhaps slight threats to wake up on time for tomorrow. Basil and Sunny knew well enough, and would have to hold onto that promise, especially if they wanted to live.

Their own walk back kept the same silence that it held before, Basil opting to keep a gentle hold onto Sunny’s hand — grounding him, and almost seeming afraid that he’d disappear if he didn’t hold him.

Sunny doesn’t remember reaching Basil’s home, or the conversation they had upon entering. He doesn’t remember greeting Polly, or sharing a snack with the blonde boy.

Only coming back to reality as he lay upon the couch, surrounded by darkness as he huddled closely within himself. The blanket he hugged smelled like lavender.

It was comforting, and the fear and dread he felt from being alone just barely loosened its wholesome grip on his throat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, wrote this at 2 am! sorry for mistakes or anything alike!
> 
> Also hi darby I know you’re reading this, FOOLISH GIRL WAHAHAHAHAHHA


	6. Chapter 6

“Omori?”

Mari’s voice drones through his head like a repeating alarm, hammering in and out of his mind and forcing him to give all his sole attention to her and her alone.

Upon looking at her, she smiles warmly, tilting her head to the side cutesy-like.

”I’ve been noticing you hanging around with Basil more. That’s good, little brother! It’s about time you came out of your shell.” She giggles and latches onto the pale boy, her hair drifting into his face and tickling his head. “I may not show it, but I am proud, Omori. I know it’s been hard, so you doing this is a huge step forwards.”

Step forwards to what, though? He wants to ask, but opts to stay quiet.

Mari gently tugs away, and tugs a stray stand of hair behind her ear. “Perhaps you can do the same to the other three. Basil was a good start, but we canning just disclose the rest of them.”

Omori shoots her a confused looking, to which she happily continues on with. “Hero, Kel and Aubrey. I know you think they’ve moved on, but they haven’t, silly.” She gently forced the two to sit down, the familiar softness of her picnic blanket brushing up against his legs. It’s far better then the sensation of itchy grass pricking at him.

“They’re just moving at their own pace. You just happened to be lucky that Basil was working at your speed, as well.”

Shes tugging out candy from the basket, wasting no time to pop a piece of taffy into her mouth. She smiles and offers him a piece, not taking no as an answer and instead gently putting it in the palm of his hand. “Don’t let those wicked thoughts tear us apart, okay?”

Shes suddenly closer then he thought, her hair falling back down into her face. The sight is familiar, and Omori knows why — but he ignored it.

“Please, listen to me.” Her hand gently wraps around his own, squeezing gently. “Please come back to me.”

“Sunny?..”

Basil’s voice is quiet, just barely above a whisper. Sunny looks around for the source of the boy, but fails. It’s only til he looks straight forwards that he sees him. He’s standing in front of him, a small frown on his face.

”Are you okay?”

He steps forwards slowly, almost as if approaching a stray cat. “It’s pretty late, still..” Basil continues, a weak attempt in hiding his frown into a smile taking toll on his face. “If you wanna, you can sleep with me. I - I don’t mind, uh. But I also understand if you’re.. I - If you’d rather not.” His hands are heavy on Sunny’s shoulders, and it grounds him for just a minute.

”..Where are we.”

Sunny asks meekly, earning a worried expression from Basil. “..W - What?”

The dark haired boy pulls away to look around, blinking slowly. “Do.. Uhm. Do you not remember? Y - You walked out of the house — it’s 4 AM.” He slowly inches his phone out, tugging it close to Sunny to show him the time. His eyes rake over the screen, looking away soon after.

“I only noticed you were not asleep because.. I - I got a weird feeling, and wanted to make sure you were safe.” The slightest tint of paranoia in his tone made Sunny shift uncomfortably. The fear of the worry turning into obsession prominent as ever.

“..Do you know why you got up?” Basil tried again, slowly sliding the phone away.

”You never answered.” Sunny states plainly. The blonde looks apologetic, and looks down fast. “R - Right.. Sorry. We’re at the park.” At the words, the world around him slowly set into place. Things he swore he hadn’t seen before showing up, the swing set he was on the other day coming into view; alongside with the deep and familiar batch of trees ahead the park.

“..I don’t know why I got up.” Sunny rubs at his arm anxiously. “I thought I was asleep.”

Basil nervously laughs, and reaches out to tug on him lightly. “To be fair, you were.. K - Kinda. You might be sleep walking.” The idea felt ridiculous, but by this point it wouldn’t be a surprise if it were the case. “Kinda spooky. Uhm, maybe we can ask Hero about it in the morning. He knows.. Stuff.”

..Right.

Sunny’s eyes look at where Basil holds him at, slowly raking up to meet his light gaze. Basil smiles at him once they meet, but falters as Sunny continues a hold onto his stoic expression.

”Y - You don’t wanna see him, do you..?”

His hand inches down from Sunny’s arm to his hand, slowly intertwining. Upon having a gentle hold, he slowly tugs him aside him, leading them back to his house. “It’s fine if you don’t. I get it. I was.. Really scared, when he found out. Especially since I’d have to be alone, w - with you moving and all..” Basil paused, thinking over his words carefully. He didn’t want to stress him out, but he also didn’t want to lie.

“..He wasn’t happy. He was.. Really upset. I - It was scary seeing him so upset, actually.” The blonde admits. “I think him seeing him only made the pain worse. So he ignored me.. For awhile. But he eventually stopped, and talked to me again. It was hard, for him, it was really obvious.. But I think he just needed time to process everything.”

It doesn’t make it any better, a voice bites in the back of Sunny’s head. It doesn’t change the fact you murdered his love.

“Gradually, he got more comfortable with me again. I’m certain Kel had a part in it, but he was definitely trying, even if.. I - If it was obvious he was not happy with me. But, progress had been made since then!” He says happily, giving Sunny’s hand a squeeze. “He’s much more comfortable now. I don’t think he’ll.. Ever forgive me. Or you, but it doesn’t mean he hates us. It’s not a bad thing to not forgive your friend for something, you know.. He still loves us. Loves you. It’s just.. Difficult. He knows you aren’t a murderer, Sunny. You were upset, a - and we were 12. We just have to regain that trust, and considering how willing he is to come back into my life, I’m certain he won’t hesitate at all to come back to yours.”

Sunny held a small amount of doubt, but didn’t say it out loud. He instead quietly walks through the front door of his house, and follows him upstairs silently.

”Trust me.” Basil says gently as Sunny slides into his bed, the blonde following soon after. He brings him close to his chest near instantly, hugging Sunny softly. “Everything is going to be okay.”

“I love you so much.” 

**Author's Note:**

> sorry if this is garbage, i just need more omori stuff and i am more then willing to give myself the angst i so desire. also, tags will change and increase over time, so more warnings will be in the future possibly! just a warning, i suppose!
> 
> and again so sorry if this is bad. im better at drawing then writing, but i do this out of self indulgence! i hope its bearable!


End file.
